


It Takes a Lot To Know a Man

by TheBlueBicycle



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Age flip, Child Neglect, M/M, No Underage Sex, Older Stiles, Peter Hale Deserves Nice Things, Peters shitty childhood, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Violence, Younger Peter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 13:22:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17345987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlueBicycle/pseuds/TheBlueBicycle
Summary: "You'll make a wonderful Alpha for this pack, Talia."Peter stared, not quite understanding how much this would change. He was too young to fully understand, but he knew. Even then, he felt something. Felt priorities shift, and realign.





	It Takes a Lot To Know a Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The italics are a memory that Peter has of his childhood.

The day that Talia shifted into a full bodied wolf was the worst day of his life. Years ago, but it had made quite the impression.

Peter contemplated this idly as he sat in the window seat in his room, his back leaned against it. A book was laid out in his lap. One of the ancient books that were filled with dust, and secrets. He'd found it in the vast library in their home, always having been a fan of sneaking into the library at odd hours. For now, however, he was stopped. He was stopped on a page and his fingers were stroking absently against the drawing of the large wolf.

The book spoke of werewolf history, and the different myths that surrounded it. If a human happened over it they would merely think of it as a story book that had taken itself too seriously.

It brought him back to the memories of Talia, of course. With a snap he closed the book, and stared out the window.

The day was rather horrid. The sky had opened up, and seemed to be pissing all over Peter's day. The teen stared at the driveway where there were many cars already packed around the home. He chanced a look into the woods and saw a flash of dark black fur, and knew that it was Talia. 

_"Peter,_ _come on," Talia laughed, racing off into the woods._

_Peter wasn't much for running, and getting muddy, but his sister was home from college. Even if he didn't want to admit it he wanted to included. He wanted to take part in his sisters activities even if it only meant that he'd feel part of something for just a moment. He had littler legs since he was only ten compared to her age of nineteen, but he raced off after her, caught up in her laughter._ _Soon, however, he lost sight of his big sister._

_"Tali, that's not fair!" The ten year old stuck his lip out in a pout, becoming frustrated rather quickly._

_He could hear footsteps nearby, and his pout quickly dissolved into a look of determination. He would find her. She liked to do this sometimes. Hiding, and making him find her._

With a sigh Peter tossed the book aside, and stood from his spot at the window. He could hear people milling about downstairs. The whole pack didn't stay here, though there were rooms for everyone if they chose to stay for awhile. They would always be welcome. That's what Talia recited in the meetings while Peter rolled his eyes at the sticky, and emotional words.

Today was a special occasion. A pack meeting.

Talia was already the Alpha. Had been after their mother had died years ago. Their father was still around, though he was more of an advisor now to the current Hale Alpha. Things had changed rather quickly in the years after Talia had found her shift. She'd become mated. Married, and soon had two children, though he'd overhead that she was thinking about having another one of the spawns.

The teen closed his eyes tight when he heard Laura making a ruckus downstairs. The girl was more and more like her mother each day. Strong, Peter thought to himself, but terribly misguided. He knew that perhaps he was being a bit harsh when it came to a child, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

He largely preferred Derek, and he was sure that Talia had noticed that with the amount of times that he was stuck babysitting him. He was quieter, and seemed to prefer Peter more than the other family members when he wasn't making a mess of his toys, or sleeping.

Such was the life of a toddler. 

_The boy_ _was shifted, little claws at his fingertips and a snarling face with snapping teeth. The footsteps were coming closer. I will find her, he thought to himself._

_One step, two steps, three steps._

_He was getting closer now._ _He could hear the footsteps much clearer now, but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized there was a second pair of footsteps tracking through these woods._

_At once Peter inhaled, and.. And, "Tali," He whimpered out loud, because those weren't scents that he knew. He smelled wolfsbane._

Peter made his way down the stairs, and found the mess of pack members in the main area of their home. He cared for his family dearly. He'd always been a pack creature at heart. Always tactile, and seeking comfort, but he hadn't let that show since he was a child. Because those were childish things, he thought to himself as a child toddled towards him. He sighed, staring at him.

Derek was looking at him with such a hopeful look, making grabby hands that he couldn't resist. He picked the child up, and settled him on his hip.

"Getting into trouble, are we?" He asked with a cocked brow, though smirked when Derek merely giggled, and hid his face against Peter's neck.

He really was quite shy, even when it came to other pack members, and Peter wasn't exactly sure why Derek seemed to like him so much, especially when so many of the other pack members didn't acknowledge him much. Part of him worried that Derek would change when he got older. That he'd do as the rest of their pack had. The thought of it made something twist in his stomach.

The older one didn't have time to dwell on that much when outside the howl of an Alpha could be heard. Talia, everyone knew, and the pack members rushed out to see her in her wolf form. It was a treat to all of them, he supposed. The ability to shift into a full wolf had always been something that was regarded with high respect. Rare, and to be praised.

Peter stayed to the side with Derek in his arms and watched as his father watched Talia with a fond gaze. He swallowed the bitter feeling, and rolled his eyes at Talia's behavior.

Always one to make an entrance, he thought to himself. 

_The little wolf felt frozen, staring as the men came into view. One had a gun, while the other had a crossbow._

_All at once his training left his mind, all at once all he knew was fear. The second that the men saw his shifted features they shot off an arrow, and it grazed his arm. He let out a little howl of pain, scrambling back._

_A roar interrupted the clearing. Loud, and full of power. A wolf pounced to the front of him, snarling with its hackles raised. Its fur was thick, and black, with a smattering of white at its paws. It was only after that the hunters were gone that Peter realized. ".. Tali?"_

_The wolf turned towards him, eyes clear, and hackles lowered. He knew, then. Talia had the gift._

The meeting itself was a bit boring. Nothing had been happening in the territory. Nothing worthy of noting. The only hunters in the area were the Argents, but even now they were old news, and they had a treaty. A shaky one that made Peter feel as if he was apart of a ridiculous story book, but no one from their family had been killed, and the Argents had stuck to the code so far.

No other hunters had been named in the town, nor had any other shifters, or creatures. Things were calm.

Peter found himself leaning against a wall, listening half heartedly as Talia droned on to the pack about territory lines, and what she wanted to accomplish. She'd already named an Emissary a year before, that being Alan Deaton. He'd never been a fan of the man himself, and he'd let his opinion be heard, but 'vague, cryptic asshole' wasn't enough of a reason for Talia to rid of him, especially when she kindly pointed out that the description could be used on him as well.

Deaton was sat at one of the couches, listening though it looked as though he was thinking of something else. Most of the rest were people from the pack. People that were related to them. Of course, not all. There was Stiles.

Stiles had come to them about a year ago as well. He wasn't officially apart of their pack, but he helped. He was a Spark that was interning with Deaton, learning his abilities, and he helped the Hale pack when it was needed. Peter liked Stiles. Scratch that. Peter really liked Stiles. Perhaps it was the older ones wit, and the ability to hold a conversation. Or .. Or it could have been the whiskey colored eyes, and perfectly tussled hair.

Peter was smitten, and he knew that. He knew that very well, but that would never be a confession that would see the light of day.

A shoulder bumped into his, and Peter looked up. "Yes?" He cocked a brow, though a smirk was curling against his lips.

Stiles was there as he usually was, eyes lit up with tricks, and magic. "You look like someone stole your favorite book." They were whispering, though in a room of werewolves that did little good. He could feel his father sending them a glare since technically they were supposed to be listening to Talia but Peter ignored it.

"You say that as if it would ruin me. I'd simply slit the throat of whoever did it, and I'd have my book back."

Stiles smiled, and shook his head, "Still, I thought I'd bring you something to cheer you up." With a flit of his fingers there was a rabbit running across the air, and Peter held out a palm to welcome it.

Of course it wasn't a real rabbit. It was only a projection of one. Energy that had taken the form of a rabbit. It was small, and skittering across the air until it settled into Peter's palm. Temporary, but these little projections had always fascinated him.

Stiles fascinated him, really. Sparks were rare as well, but Stiles had never used it in that certain way. He had never held the power above anyone, and instead seemed to try and get away from the attention that being a Spark brought him.

"Thank you," Peter murmured in a soft voice. Softer than it'd been in days. He said this after the rabbit had disappeared into thin air, his head tilted up so he could look at Stiles.

They looked at each other for a few moments without saying anything at all. They looked at each other, and Peter for once didn't hear what Talia was saying. Not until Stiles' face fell, and the Spark looked back to Talia with wide, appalled eyes.

"What did you say?" Stiles asked.

The room had fallen silent, and Peter had felt like he'd missed something.

Talia looked a touch unsure, but quickly squared her shoulders, and lifted her chin. "I said," She took a breath. "I have named Peter as my enforcer."

_Peter was being shaken. Hands were on his shoulders, big and tight._

_"How could you be so foolish!" His father snarled. "We've trained you. You run, Peter. You run when you hear the hunters. When you see them." Peter felt frozen again, staring at his father. His arm had been bandaged, though it would be healed by morning. "The only reason you're alive is because Talia was there."_

_The man let Peter go at once, looking towards the kitchen where two Hale women were chattering away excitedly._

_"I .. I don't know! I just knew felt as if I could do something more. Everything inside of me bubbled up, and -- " Talia shook her head in disbelief, "I don't know where it came from, mom." She was smiling broadly at her mother, still in disbelief herself._

_A hand smoothed through Talia's hair, and their mother smiled kindly. "You've achieved so much, sweetheart. You've always been capable. Your body just now let you know it." There was a pause, when everyone waited to hear those words from the current Hale Alpha. "You'll make a wonderful Alpha for this pack, Talia."_

_Peter stared, not quite understanding how much this would change. He was too young to fully understand, but he knew. Even then, he felt something. Felt priorities shift, and realign._

_He watched as his father went to the kitchen to congratulate Talia, and Peter just stood, and stared._

_The pup felt it all at once. The days events rushed to him, and his eyes welled up but he didn't dare let them fall. There's no point in childish games, he heard a voice inside his mind say. It sounded like his father._

_With one last look Peter turned, and walked to his room._

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in this fandom before, fair warning. Unsure if I will continue with this, but I really wanted to write this out.
> 
> Please leave feedback!
> 
>  
> 
> Also the title of this comes directly from the song title It Takes a Lot To Know a Man by Damien Rice


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